Thread by @ProjPM

Today is @AaronSwartzDay.

Ten years ago, Swartz was arrested and charged by the @FBI for giving the public access to materials the public had paid to create. Here's an interview I gave at the time, followed in thread by lesser-known aspects of his work

Both before and after his initial arrest and charging, Swartz assisted with the crowd-sourced investigation into illicit surveillance and propaganda technologies uncovered by #Anonymous, #Wikileaks, and #ProjectPM in early 2011 - like persona management:

aaronswartzday.org/aaron-barrett-…

In 2012, he was among the handful of researchers who argued that Trapwire was a matter of legitimate public concern:

thecanary.co/global/2016/10…

More:

rt.com/usa/trapwire-c…

Here, Swartz gives an interview regarding Trapwire and the broader issue of state-corporate surveillance partnerships:

With a few exceptions, like @BernardKeane's superb outlet @TheCanaryUK in the article linked above, the press either ignored or mocked the position put forward by Swartz. Take a look at the documents referenced in that piece to the effect that Cubic secretly owned Trapwire...

... and then compare with this rather different take:

"On Monday, Cubic took the unusual step of issuing a press release stating that it has 'no affiliation' with the surveillance firm. If only everyone in this sordid story was so clear about their corporate connections."

Thus we have a journalist assuring the public that a secretive defense firm had settled the question of whether it was involved in something controversial by denying it in a press release.

That journalist is now managing editor of @thedailybeast:

brookings.edu/opinions/trapw…

#ProjectPM, which Swartz helped with as the feds prepared to destroy him, returns to the net this week after an 8-year hiatus. It's accompanied by two new research initiatives:

#ProjectHastings (media misconduct)

&

#ProjectSwartz (police misconduct)

https://twitter.com/ProjPM/status/1342182634357719040

(Note: @BernardKeane is actually with Crikey, not The Canary, as I accidentally claimed above due to confusion over all these silly names)